The Third Great War
by Knight of Rust
Summary: Set two year after FFVIII, a new batch of SeeDs take their exam. While the world is in a peace brought by the end of Ultimecia, a diabolical plot is being set in motion. SeeDs new and old will need to join forces towards a common goal: saving the world. -original characters-
1. Exam

This story was started ages ago in a time where I didn't really have much time or inspiration on my hands. Three years later, I'm finally ready to do this story as much justice as I can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, nor will I ever do so.

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"Wake up, slacker. We're almost there and you managed to sleep through the whole trip besides the briefing. How you could ever sleep on an assault ship, on your way to our field exam, no less, I'll never know."

Halin Rishmur groaned as he shifted in his uncomfortable chair. He didn't want to be woken up, not now, not after that wonderful dream. But he had to, there was no other choice. Without opening his eyes, the teenager reached up and scratched his neck under the collar of his blue and silver cadet uniform, which had been left unbuttoned halfway up his chest. His other hand instinctively went to his gun, stationed in a holster at his hip. It would be near impossible to draw the short, double-barreled shotgun from his sitting position, but simply resting his hand on it made him feel better. At least, it did until he opened his eyes, and then his heart jumped into his throat as he saw his squad leader towering over him.

"Are you awake now? Or do I need to give you a wake-up slap for good measure?" Standing above him, arms crossed and with Ifrit's fury written clearly on her face, was his Squad Leader, Aya... Actually, he wasn't quite sure what her last name was. He did know, however, that she preferred to Junction for strength before anything else.

"No, no. I'm awake, perfectly awake. Wouldn't've fallen asleep if it wasn't for the gentle rocking of the ship." Halin responded, making a great show of yawning, though he was eying her to see if he was, in fact, in serious danger. She was fit, trim, with sharp features. He supposed some would call her attractive in a striking kind of way. Those who were able to stare into those piercing brown eyes without flinching could, anyways.

"Hydrofoils... Do not... Rock..." Aya twitched, her hand balling into a fist. With more willpower than Halin would have thought possible from her, she lowered her hand and turned to the third member of their squad. "Chel, what are we going to do with him?"

"He's not hurting anyone, Aya." Chel said quietly, not even looking up from the book she was reading. Rachel Liebman, Chel for short. She was on the Library Committee and had tutored him a few times in the past. Where Aya would be considered "striking," Chel would be dubbed "cute." She was on the shorter side, lacking a curvy figure, but her cool blue eyes were full of warmth.

"Thanks Chel," Halin said with a grin before glancing at the SeeD who had been assigned to their squad. Irvine Kinneas, one of the heroes of the Second Sorceress War and defeater of Ultimecia. How someone like him was put on a job like this, Halin would never know, but he wasn't going to complain about it; Kinneas was the one who inspired him to pick up the shotgun. The cowboy was studiously examining his gun (Exeter; the boy mentally grinned at the mere thought of it), seemingly paying them no attention whatsoever.

"Ugh, whatever. We're almost there anyways." As if Aya's words were its cue, the assault boat started slowing down. It decelerated so quickly that she nearly fell into Halin's lap, but managed to catch herself on the wall behind him. She pushed away with a scowl of disgust at being thrown off balance and returned to her seat to polish her scythe. She was nervous, and rightfully so. This would be her last chance to make SeeD, she HAD to pass.

Halin almost felt sorry that she had a slacker like him in her squad. "So let's see if I remember this right," he said in a slow drawl to make sure he had everyone's attention. By this time Chel was putting her book away and taking hold of her mace, so he figured he did. "In order to pass this exam, we gotta find and subdue a low level, out of control GF. Simple as that?"

"I wouldn't call subduing a GF simple anything," Aya said with a snort. "Are you two Junctioned properly? Take a moment to make sure."

Halin watched his Squad Leader for a moment as she closed her eyes, and then did the same. He fished through his mind, letting a tranquil peace settle over him. His own GF, Sphinx, waited for him in all her earthy glory. Balamb Garden knew that these beings would someday destroy the early memories of those who house them, but it also knew that they were the safest way to keep its students alive. He smiled as he mentally reached out for Sphinx, and it turned into a grin when she reached back, uniting them in a warm glow. He had come to rely on the Guardian Force over his years as a student. She was intelligent, moreso than he was, and always managed to Junction his magic just right. Not that he couldn't do it all on his own, she was just more efficient at it.

_'Sleep to status attack, Silence and Blind to status defence... Blizzara to elemental attack, magic's good, twenty percent boost in place, move-find... Not like I'm going to need that here.'_ Halin paused as he opened his eyes, the cool feeling of the para-magic sliding around in his head causing him a moment of discomfort, especially compared to Sphinx's usual heat. Once the rather tedious activity was done he glanced at Chel and saw that she was already heading towards the door.

"Alright, folks,"Irvine spoke out for the first time since the briefing. "The ship'll be landin' here at Centra soon. I'll be watching ya'll carefully, making sure nothing happens to any of you that you can't handle on your own. If you have any questions, ask now." He looked over the squad with a careful, calculating eye, but no one spoke up. He paused before stating, "Meet up back here once ya'll are done, no pressure right?" The squad of students saluted the SeeD right as the boat slowed to a stop. "So like, get out there and show 'em what you're made of."

"Alright squad, let's get moving!" Aya said with gusto, immediately seizing the mantle of control. The door in the side of the assault boat opened and the trio jumped out onto the beach and the barren landscape of Centra. Chel's breath caught in her throat; reading about the broken continent that was Centra and seeing pictures of it was nothing like actually being there. Sensing her companion's discomfort, Aya wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "Just be glad it wasn't Balamb that got hit like this, alright?"

"Didn't Trabia get hit by the Lunar Cry, too? Why doesn't it look like this?" Halin spoke out, removing his shotgun from its holster and slinging it over a shoulder.

"You can ask that when we get back. For now, let's just get moving." Aya released Chel and swung her scythe backwards across her shoulder, resting it behind her neck with both arms hanging over the handle. It was uncomfortably close to her body, but she was used to the weapon, in total control.

"Yeah, but go where? We don't have a lot of information, this thing could be anywhere," Halin stated with a snort.

"How about over there?" Chel asked, gesturing to their right, away from the beach. Aya and Halin both turned and stared out into the distance. "I think that's the Centra Ruins." Far in the distance was a large, bloated tower that almost blended in with the backdrop of the mountains.

"Wow, you have good eyesight.." Aya said under her breath. "Yeah, if anything we could climb up the ruins and check out the area."

"Ugh, I was hoping we wouldn't have to walk that far," Halin sounded out of breath already, and they hadn't even started walking yet.

"Get it in gear, you're not here to complain," Aya said with a scowl as she started walking, Chel following quickly in her wake.

"Yeah yeah, doesn't mean I can't." He grumbled. This was going to be a long day.

"That's not a very becoming attitude for a SeeD candidate," Aya huffed. Normally she would cross her arms at this point, but with her scythe occupying both hands she had to settle for a dirty look. "I'm not going to start lecturing you, but if you seriously keep this attitude up, I'm going to have a chat with Irvine when we get back."

Halin looked skyward and rolled his eyes. "This is just how I blow off stress. Don't worry about it. Not like I'm gunna sit back in the middle of a battle or anything."

"You, stressed? From the way you were asleep on the ship I figured you had no worries in the world."

"You should see him when he wastes his tutor's time..." Chel added, as quiet as ever.

"I wouldn't put that past him, either."

"Hey now, I enjoy sleeping. Don't get enough of it, that's all." He crossed his arms defensively, sliding his gun back into its holster but not relinquishing it from his grip. "I'm sure one of you two probably didn't get that much sleep last night, either."

"Whatever," Aya muttered. "Start Scanning the area. There might be something close by that we can't see. We don't know enough about the GF to make an accurate analysis on its whereabouts, and I don't want any unpleasant surprises."

"Right away, Aya." Deciding that it wasn't worth facing the wrath of his squad leader, Halin quickly reached into his reserves of magic in order to pull out a Scan spell. It wasn't so much a physical feeling as the spell drifted lazily down his outstretched arm, palm up, but rather a mental one. Once the magic made it to his palm, it emerged as a white light that quickly morphed into a transparent rectangle.

"See anything?" Aya asked, a little too quickly.

"Hold your chocobos! I haven't even looked yet." He kept pace with the two ladies but never focused on them; he didn't want to accidentally use it on them and waste a perfectly good spell. The Scan spell, though normally used to keep track of monsters, worked just as well on humans, but most considered it an unforgivable invasion of privacy. A quick scan of the area indicated nothing out of the ordinary. "Nothing," Halin muttered, "Absolutely nothing."

"I don't know, Halin, I have a bad feeling about this..." Chel said nervously, fidgeting with her mace. The tone of her voice caused Halin to give pause.

"... Aya, I think we should hang back for a few minutes," Halin reluctantly admitted. "I think we're safe, personally, but Chel's got a good intuition. Better than mine, anyways."

Their squad leader slowed to a halt and looked back at the two following her. She cast a critical eye on Halin, who she figured wanted to stop simply because he was lazy, but her gaze softened when she turned to Chel. "Halin, go scout up ahead. We haven't traveled very far, but I want to know what's coming next. Just over the next hill or so."

"Aye aye, captain." Tossing her a sloppy Garden salute, Halin took off. He realized as he walked that his nonchalant attitude hadn't done anything for their leader's self-esteem on this mission. He simply marched to the beat of a different drum. His own drum, to be exact, and he did enjoy peace and quiet more often than the actual drumbeat. At the top of the next barren hill he paused to cast another Scan spell. He stopped his preparation as he felt the ground shake beneath his feet. It was just a small tremor, but it was becoming more powerful by the second. He surged forward mentally, urging Sphinx to help him cast the spell, and the familiar rectangle emanated from his palm. He gazed through it, scanning the ground frantically, and then... _"Dredger, level 44, weak against Wind, absorbs Earth." _Halin froze out of fear and confusion; this was supposed to be a _low level _GF_._

The ground started to bulge before two large drills, each the size of Halin's torso, broke through the hard Centran ground. The rotating spires soared into the air like fish jumping out of the water, and two slim, slimy brown limbs followed after. These limbs turned out to be arms, attached to a giant, slug-like creature that emerged after the drills. It was only airborne for a few seconds before belly-flopping onto the ground. It writhed there, reminding the student fully of a Geezard. It hadn't noticed him yet, and so he stood completely still, only taking small, shallow breaths. He knew it probably wouldn't help in the long run, but if it turned away from him long enough for him to...

"Halin! What was that!" Aya yelled from where she was conversing with Chel. Halin swore as the GF turned towards him. The two locked eyes and the boy could feel Sphinx recoil in his head as though something wasn't quite right. The creature reared back its head and tossed it forward again, letting loose a mighty roar before burrowing back underground. Halin turned and started running frantically back to the group.

"It's not a low level GF! We have to get out of here!" Halin grabbed the arms of both of the girls and started dragging them along, explaining as he ran. "It _is_ a GF but it's too strong for a trio of students to take down. It's digging under the ground no-" He was cut off as the beast surged just under the earth beneath their feet.

"Jump!" Aya yelled, yanking her arm free from Halin's grip and leaping out of the way. Unfortunately, Halin still had a grip on Chel and it only got tighter when he lost his balance, having relied on Aya's support. Thinking quickly, he twisted on his heel so he would fall onto his back, but he wasn't about to let Chel suffer the same fate.

"Float!" Halin shouted. He shoved her away from him, into the air, and released the spell. Wings appeared from Chel's back as the Float spell activated and she hovered over the ground. Halin, of course, was not that lucky. He hit the ground hard, the force of the impact causing his head to whip back against the newly displaced earth. Halin let out a groan of pain as his hand instinctively shot to the back of his head. He felt blood.

"Cura." Chel whispered, kneeling as close to Halin as the Float spell would let her. He gasped as the cold blue light enveloped his head, blocking out his vision and causing the wound to heal much quicker than it would have naturally. Cure spells were always cold and always a shock if you weren't prepared to be on the receiving end of one. Halin rubbed the back of his head with gritted teeth. The wound was still raw and the blood still warm and sticky. He would ignore it for now; they had to escape or, failing that, find a way to take this monster down. It wasn't going to be easy

"Thanks, Chel," Halin muttered as he wiped his hands off on his pants and got to his feet. He reached for his gun and quickly pulled it out of its holster, holding it with both hands as he glanced around. Aya was equally on guard, but nothing was moving. The wasteland was silent. Until...

"THERE IT IS!" Aya cried out. Dredger jumped into the air again, higher this time, before turning 180 degrees in mid-air and dive bombing the squad leader.

"Aero!" Chel yelled, and Halin's gun put an exclamation point on her spell. The two shotgun slugs collided with the GF's left appendage just as the magic mini-tornado rammed into it. Dredger was thrown off balance in the air and landed tail-first a mere five feet away from Aya. It screeched again, but the squad leader didn't give it time to recover. She raised her scythe and took a step forward. With a sharp slice she struck the beast only for it to emerge unharmed, hide too thick for her weapon to pierce. It counter-attacked with a swipe of its drills and knocked her off of her feet with such force that she tumbled away.

"Damnit Aya, don't get that close!" Halin hissed through gritted teeth. "Slow!" The Slow spell shot away as fast as the bullets and struck the GF between the eyes, but merely bounced off without doing any bit of harm. If anything, it only seemed to cause the beast to become even angrier.

"I'm a melee fighter, support me!" Aya ordered as she ran back in, scythe raised.

"Protect," Chel voiced with a tone of worry, and the next moment Aya's front was covered by a circular, glowing blue shield which receded into an invisible cushion, clinging to its target.

"Blind!" Halin roared from his spot between Chel and the beast. Once again the spell hit Dredger right between the eyes, but this time it stuck. A cloud of black smoke formed in front of the creature's face, hindering its vision. Knowing that this battle was going to be a lot easier now, he took the time to reload the simple two-shot shotgun.

And with a mighty battle cry, Aya jumped into the fray against the creature. She landed on its belly and sliced downwards at the GF's arms. Once again its thick hide stopped the sharp blade from slicing through, though this time she did manage to draw blood. Dredger screamed viciously and twisted, causing Aya to lose her balance and stumble forward. Just as quickly, it lashed out with both of its drill arms in a haymaker. She was so close that the Blind effect did nearly nothing to help her, and she was tossed to the side once more, this time taking a heavy hit to the ribs.

"Aya!" Chel was even more worried now, and the grip she had on her mace was causing her knuckles to go white.

"I'm fine! Concentrate on your spells!" Aya spat back, rising to a knee and wiping the trickle of blood away from her mouth.

"Aero!" Both Halin and Chel yelled out as they obeyed their leader, simultaneously casting the wind spell. Dredger's drills had started spinning wildly as it attempted to get back underground, but the double dose of magic caused it to soar into the air and slam back into the earth.

Aya ran forward again, though this time a red aura seeped through her skin, permeating the air around her. Halin couldn't help but grin; a Limit Break could be exactly what they needed to finish this thing off. His smile quickly disappeared when he realized the aura wasn't growing. In fact, it was receding! She was fighting it!

"Aya, what are you doing!" Halin screamed. "Use your Limit!"

"If you want to see a Limit Break so bad, use your own!" Aya yelled back as she dodged another swinging arm.

"Chel, Aura." Halin growled, turning to look at the girl expectantly.

"I... I don't have any magic that powerful, Halin." She said, her eyes wide.

Halin's grip on his gun became much like the one Chel had on her mace. "Cover me." Though he didn't usually have the tendency to be suicidal, he did feel the need to help his squad leader. He made sure his ammo pouch was sealed tight as he ran in. The effects of a Protect spell came over him but he ignored it.

"What are you doing! You're a caster, not a fighter, get out of here." Aya said, her voice thick with adrenaline, as she countered another wild swing. The blinded creature was doing nothing more than flailing about.

"Don't talk to me like I'm useless. I'm _helping!_" Halin shouted back. "Now shut up so it has a harder time pinpointing us!" To prove his point, he sidestepped a thrust from one of Dredger's rapidly spinning drills and fired into its arm. The force caused the beast to cry out in agony as the drill stopped spinning; he had caught the cone with one of the shots, causing it to crack, and no doubt causing the GF great pain. It roared into the sky and started thrashing about in the dirt, kicking up sand and rocks and causing even the air to shake. Halin, realizing what was happening, was once again quick to act. He turned to Aya and pointed at her, palm out. "Float!"

"Wha- Hey!" She cried as her attack missed by mere inches due to her levitation. White wings appeared on her back, just as they had to Chel and she started hovering up and down in the air.

Choosing once again to sacrifice his own safety, Halin was not able to get a second Float spell off. The earthquake Dredger was causing only got worse and Halin was tossed from his feet, landing face first onto the hard ground. He felt his nose break as he bounced off of the ground and landed again, but curled up into a ball. It was a Quake spell, and he was determined that it was not going to break all of the bones in his face.

"Halin! Cur-" Chel started to cast a Cura spell as soon as Quake was over and Dredger had calmed down for a moment, but she was cut off by Halin raising his hand.

It was a few seconds later that a red aura came up out of Halin's body. It quickly took over the battlefield, rushing away from him like the wind. Aya might have rejected hers, but Halin was embracing it. He loaded his shotgun with scattershot and took aim at the creature's face, holding the gun with one hand instead of the usual two. "Status Shot!" He roared, the adrenaline playing a frantic beat on his eardrums. Several balls of magic erupted from the palm of his hand and sped in front of his gun before lodging themselves into the barrel. At that time he rushed forward and stuck his gun directly in Dredger's face. BAM, he pulled the trigger. The scattershot absorbed the magic, spreading it out directly into the GF's head. It looked as though it was screaming in pain, but no sound was made. Blind, Silence, Poison, Berserk, Slow, Confuse and Vit 0 all afflicting the monster.

Seeing her chance Aya rushed forward and raised her scythe high. With Vit 0 in effect it only took one swing to slice through the belly of the beast. Dredger started flailing out of control and the two students jumped back as fast as they could. The GF didn't try to chase them, it didn't try to attack them, it was simply tossing in its death throes. Realizing that the beast's agony might be horrible for some to watch, Halin turned away and walked to Chel. "Don't look," He whispered to her and turned her around by her shoulders. Her face was bloodlessly white and her eyes were wider than he ever would have thought possible, and he couldn't blame her.

Halin stood there with his hands on Chel's shoulders for what seemed like hours, but were only minutes, until Aya spoke up. "I think... I think we killed it." Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Halin quickly turned around.

"What? That's impossible," Halin stated. "Guardian Forces don't die. When they're defeated they bond to the ones who they lost to."

"No, I'm afraid the lady's right. Ya'll did manage to kill this one. Though I'm going to have to say I think you did the right thing." The trio turned to see Irvine coming up behind them, Exeter out of its holster and aimed at the ground.

"What... What do you mean?" Chel asked with a touch of disbelief. "I've never heard anything like this happening to a Guardian Force, rogue or not. Not in books or in lectures, not even rumors!"

"You're right about that," Irvine said, reaching up to adjust his cowboy hat to keep the dropping sun out of his eyes. "But Cerberus here's saying that something's wrong with this one. We'll discuss it later. Rachel Leibman, Halin Rishmur, Aya Barrera, consider your exam complete. Head on back to the ship, I'll join you shortly."

In a daze over the implications of actually _killing_ a GF, the trio gave Irvine the SeeD salute and started back towards the ship, leaving Irvine to ponder what exactly had happened to Dredger.


	2. Return

A/N: It's been ages since I worked on this. I'm not going to make any promises, but I'm going to try to get this updated more often. Until I get around to updating again after the next Paper Luigi chapter, here, have a mediocre chapter!

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Chel, always the scholar, had drilled Irvine about what could have caused a Guardian Force to die like that for the entire ride home. Even during the transfer from boat to car, her normally quiet and peaceful demeanor was replaced with a hungry need for knowledge. Unfortunately for her, Irvine wasn't able to come up with any answers.

It was sundown by the time Irvine and the SeeD cadets made it back to the Garden. "Alright, folks," Irvine said once he was finally able to get a word in. Chel slumped a little, finally realizing that, if there even were answers, she wouldn't be getting them tonight. "Now it's late and ya'll are tired, so why don't ya head on back to your dorms and get cleaned up for the night. Chances are, the graduation'll wait 'til the morning."

"Thank you, Mr. Irvine," Chel said softly. Her head was bowed slightly. "I'm sorry I was giving you so much trouble on the way back."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, darlin'," Irvine said with a tip of his hat. "The pursuit of knowledge is an admirable goal." He sized them all up for a moment longer before giving them all a nod. "Alright, dismissed."

Aya, Halin and Chel saluted Irvine before walking towards the exit of the parking garage. Halin let out a sigh of relief they entered the main ring of the Garden. "So-" Halin started, cut off by a kick in the gut by Aya. He doubled over and grabbed at his stomach, wheezing. The attack had come so abruptly that he couldn't brace himself for the blow.

"That was for being a whiny crybaby the entire trip," Aya said furiously. "And for casting Float on me mid-attack." She crossed her arms in a huff and stomped away towards the dorms.

"In case... you didn't notice," Halin managed to get out between coughs, "I saved you... from a Quake spell. That GF would have tore you a new one if you fell over that close to it." He was starting to recover now, managing to stand with Chel's help. "Thank you, Chel," he managed.

Aya stopped in her tracks and turned around. She began to stomp back towards Halin. "What did you think you were doing? Being chivalrous?!" She yelled. "I sure as hell don't need to be protected by a loser like you!"

"Aya..." Chel said quietly. She was reluctant to get between Aya and a target of her anger. Halin certainly didn't blame her for that one. He took a few steps forward and put himself in front of Chel, just in case Aya decided to revert back to violence.

"I was protecting a teammate. I did it for Chel and I did it for you. I'm not apologizing for that." Halin began to cross his arms but thought better of it. Crossing his arms would come off as defensive, and the last thing he wanted was for Aya to think he was becoming defiant.

"I don't need protection!" She snapped. Aya pushed her finger into his chest for emphasis. "And I certainly don't need it from a slacker like you!" The proverbial fires were blazing in her eyes. Halin suppressed a gulp of panic.

"Calm down, Aya," Halin said. His voice was even, though he felt a strange sort of terror rising within him. "You asked me to support you and I did. I did it at risk to myself, all so your pretty face wouldn't get scarred." _Oh Hyne, me and my big mouth..._ He knew he was going to be in trouble after that.

Aya's eye twitched, and her face started to turn red. "You- I- That's- I-idiot" she managed to sputter. The sheer audacity of his statement seemed to be the only thing keeping him from being slaughtered. "Why do you have to be so damn infuriating?!" She raised her fist and forcibly dented one of the metal planters at the edge of the walkway. Aya turned to walk away again. "Come on, Chel," the feisty redhead snapped, "We're going to the Training Center. The T-Rexaurs are probably out by now. They'll be more satisfying that dealing with _him_."

"R-right," Chel said as she went around Halin. She turned around to face him and bowed her head slightly. "T-thank you for your Float spell. I'm sorry for her attitude, she's just really worked up about the exam."

"Any time, Chel. Er, try to calm her down, okay? I feel bad for the T-Rexaurs now," Halin chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"CHEL, GET OVER HERE!" Aya screamed from in front of the Training Center.

"I have to go. Please forgive Aya, okay? She's just tired, that's all." Chel offered Halin an apologetic smile before taking off. "Thank you again!"

"Aye aye aye," Halin said to himself once he was alone. "That woman is a handful." He let out a breath and looked at his arms. "Damn, she gave me goosebumps. I didn't realize I was that scared."

"So like, do you have any sense of self preservation at all?" The drawling voice startled him; Halin hadn't noticed Irvine sneak up on him. "Because, and I'm not gunna lie, I almost flinched when she raised that fist of hers."

Halin let out a nervous kind of chuckle. "My mother used to say: between me and my father there wasn't a single lick of sense. I guess that's partly true."

The cowboy laughed at Halin's straightforward response. "Well it was bold, and dumb as a box of rocks, but if it works then I very well can't fault ya for your methods." There was a small pause as Irvine glanced at the gun Halin had holstered. "Hey, I was about to go to the Cafeteria to grab some food. Mind takin' a walk with me?"

"Yes, sir," Halin said, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. He glanced at his watch. 8:24. Almost curfew. Chances are all the hotdogs would be gone by now. They began their short walk to the cafeteria.

As usual, the cafeteria was packed with people lounging and studying. The two gunslingers went to wait in line. "So what model is that?" Irvine asked, motioning to Halin's gun. "I don't recognize it."

"This old thing?" Halin asked nonchalantly, though he was secretly screaming on the inside. _Irvine_ wanted to know about _his_ gun. "My dad owns Rishmur Firearms in Dollet. That's one of the reasons I got into firearms in the first place. This was one of his prototypes early on. He calls it the Rhino."

They moved to the counter as the line dwindled. "Two hotdogs, if you please," Irvine requested. He turned his attention back to Halin. "The Rhino, eh? So like, how come it never moved past the prototype stage?"

"A hamburger and fries for me, thanks," Halin called, then turned back to Irvine. "It has a few... problems. With the design, I mean. Sometimes it misfires. Not a lot, it's only happened a few times." The two began walking to the nearest empty table. "The trigger's a bit fragile. It's got a hell of a kick. Accuracy's kinda in the drain. Those last three can be compensated for, though. The real problem is the overheating issue. I did manage to fix it with Junctioning, though. But not everyone can Junction so you can see how it would be kinda hard to mass produce them for people."

Irvine nodded as he listened, taking a few bites of his hotdog at a time. "If it's got that many problems, why don't you ask your dad for a new one? Surely you can take your pick."

"I can, but it's the principle of the thing. Dad wants me to join the family business, making guns and stuff, after he retires sometime down the line. This gun is pretty much to show me what kind of mistakes he made when he first started down the path, ya know? Maybe when I finally get around to becoming a gunsmith, I'll already know what not to do and how to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of a gun." Halin took in a breath and realized that he should probably slow down. "And, uh, it's actually really powerful," he finished lamely.

"Nothin' wrong with that. Mind if I take a look at it?" Irvine asked. Halin complied, pulling it out of its holster and setting it on the table. He didn't worry about it going off; one of the first things he always did when entering the Garden was remove the slugs. Irvine pushed his plate aside and picked up the shotgun. He flipped it open, checked down the barrel, and flipped it back. "It's heavier than it looks."

"Yeah. Dad's come a long way since he made the Rhino, though," Halin said. His plate empty, he slouched in his chair with a pat of his stomach. "Hopefully he'll send me something new once I graduate as a full-fledged SeeD. I've had this the whole time I've been a cadet, ya know?"

"Speakin' of that," Irvine started before finishing the last of his hot dog. He carefully placed the Rhino back on the table. "How do you think your-"

"Irvine, when did you get back?" A voice called, one that Halin immediately recognized as Instructor Trepe.

Irvine smiled as Quistis took a seat. "Hey there, Quisty. We got back not too long ago. Probably about an hour."

_It's already been an hour? That would mean it's past curfew by now, _ Halin thought.

"Irvine, please, don't call me Quisty in front of the students," Quistis snapped. She set down a plate with a fat, juicy steak onto the table. "And Halin, shouldn't you be back in the dorms by now? It's past curfew."

"Right. Yes, ma'am," Halin said as he picked up his gun and set it in its holster.

"Ah, cut the kid some slack, Quistis," Irvine leaned back in his chair. "'Sides, he's with me."

"It's alright, sir. I need my rest anyway," Halin interjected. "Tomorrow's the big day, gotta look ready in the morning."

"Alright, well good luck to you. Leave your tray, I'll take care of it. Have a good night."

"And a good night to you, sir, Instructor Trepe." Halin began to walk away. He really did need his rest; Halin never slept well, no matter how long it was for.

As soon as Quistis thought he was out of earshot, he heard her say, "Something... odd happened to my team."

Halin let out a sigh as he began speculating just what kind of weird event had happened with Quistis' team. Did they have the same kind of problem his team did? Did their rogue GF die on them as well? What was the cause? Was there any way to prevent it?

He pushed the thoughts from his mind. Thinking about it now would only cause him to worry, and that took too much effort. All he wanted now was to take a shower and go to sleep. He entered his dormitory to the sound of the news on the radio. His roommate must have left it on. After Adel's Tomb had fallen and radio waves were no longer corrupted, a plethora of radio stations had opened up in nearly every city.

"-making this the third woman to be mysteriously murdered in Galbadia. Once again, the killer left no clues as to his or her-" Halin shut off the radio. He wasn't really big on news unless it was directly related to the Garden. It just wasn't interesting to him. He staggered into his room and looked at his bed for a moment, before collapsing on top of it. _Screw it, I can shower in the morning. _With that, he fell asleep.


	3. Result

Sleeping was something that Halin enjoyed thoroughly. Unfortunately for him, his body only let him do it in small doses. He had been awake and laying silently in bed for nearly three hours, not daring to glance at the alarm clock he had on the other side of the room, in case his body was willing to let him sleep for another few minutes. His laziness was showing up in spades this morning, and he let out a sigh of disappointment when the door to his room opened.

"_And thus I tell you, King Zebalga, that what you search for cannot be found here. For that lifeless husk that was once Hyne is corrupt! Why, you couldn't glean any more power out of that vile carcass than you could out of a pebble._" Halin tightened his eyes and put his pillow over his head. The source of the voice jumped onto the bed. "_You have been tricked into looking like a fool, King Zebalga. Your search was all for naught._"

"Gunna bite your ankles," Halin warned sleepily.

"Aww, c'mon man, you should be awake. It's almost time for them to call us up, probably."

"I'll gnaw them right off, Cyrus, I'll do it."

Cyrus jumped off of the bed and walked over to the alarm clock. He picked it up and tinkered with it for a few moments before setting it back down and leaving the room. Halin let out a breath of relief at being alone once more. His reprieve was short-lived, however, as his alarm immediately went off with its loud, annoying, and repetitive screeching noise. Halin grumbled as he crawled out of bed. The whole reason for the alarm being on the other side of the room was that it forced him to get up to turn it off – otherwise he'd just keep laying there.

After successfully defusing the alarm clock, Halin left his room. His best friend and roommate, Cyrus, was waiting for him, already dressed in his cadet uniform. "_And so they looked upon the beast as it rose from its slumber. The men held their ground, but couldn't help their feelings of terror. The womanfolk fainted from the terrible-_"

"Hate you so much," Halin grumbled. The smell of coffee blazed its way into his nostrils and he took in a deep, appreciative sniff. He hated the taste, but loved the smell.

Cyrus laughed as he ran his fingers through his thick, blond hair. "I can't help myself, man. Ever since the reviews for _The Tales of Vascaroon_ came out, I've been in a hell of a mood. What can I say? Acting's in my soul."

Halin vaguely recalled the play Cyrus was talking about. It had been put on by the Balamb Drama Troupe, a small guild of actors and actresses from Balamb Garden. "Still, it's too early for you to be reciting lines at me. And isn't that thing over by now?"

"Sheesh, you're grumpier than usual this morning," Cryus observed. "C'mon, you're still wearing the same gear as yesterday, and you know what that means – walk of shame! Give me the skinny, was it Aya or Chel?"

"Ugh, neither, I collapsed when I got back," Halin waved his friend's wacky ideas off and took a seat at the table in their common room. "How'd your field exam go? You were on a squad with the Lux brothers, right?"

"Blarg, the Lux bros," Cyrus said with obvious distaste. He took a seat across from Halin and sipped down some of his coffee. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad, though. They managed to follow at least _some_ of my commands in battle. Totally beat that GF down, you know?" He grinned. "Got it Junctioned right now. Named him 'Lord Flanagan.' It's original name was Pudding, but that obviously wasn't going to cut it."

"Obviously," Halin agreed. "Think you're going to pass?"

"Heck yeah, man!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I was freakin' unbelievable out there. If I had your team instead of the Lux, they'd totally have came back home with me."

"Easy there, tiger. You're forgetting that one of my teammates was that shy little library girl. And I'm fairly sure Aya would have thrown you into the Training Center's pond for even suggesting it."

"Yeah, whatever man. I know what I got," Cyrus said with confidence. Then he leaned in closer. "So what about your group? How did you do?"

Halin was silent for a moment. He honestly didn't know how well he did. After all, he disobeyed Aya's orders when she told him to fall back, and he did complain a lot. After some contemplation, he shrugged. "Eh, it doesn't matter much. If I pass, I pass. Aya was pissed at me almost the whole time."

"Man, Aya's temper is pretty much legendary around here. Glad to see you made it out of that mess alright."

Halin smirked. "Yeah, I'unno though. She was just about ready to beat me to a pulp when we got back, but I guess I deterred her? I don't have a clue what happened."

"Right, right," Cyrus nodded. "So what about the GF?" Cyrus leaned in close for this. He wanted to hear all about the GF.

"It's name was Dredger. Think a Geezard, but giant, and with drills for hands. That's basically what it was. We fought it, and won, but..." Halin let himself trail off.

"Don't tell me your proctor had to step in to help," Cyrus groaned, slumping back into his chair.

"No, nothing like that," Halin explained. "We did just fine against it. A little TOO fine. We managed to..." He leaned in and folded his arms on the table. "We managed to kill the GF."

Cyrus spit the coffee he was drinking back into his cup out of shock. "You guys did WHAT!?"

"I don't know how it happened either, man. I hit it with my Limit, Aya sliced it open and then bam, it died right there on the spot."

"Are you sure this was a GF? And not just some random monster?"

Halin smirked for a moment. "We were sent out there to find a rampaging GF, Cyrus. Irvine even said it was the GF."

"D... Damn..." Cyrus managed to stutter out. "But if that's-" He was interrupted by the speaker's chime, indicating an announcement.

"_All students who participated in yesterday's field exam, report to the 2nd floor hallway. I repeat. All students who took the field exam, report to the 2nd floor hallway."_

Cyrus stood up immediately. "Awesome! Time to go become a SeeD!"

"You go on ahead," Halin said. "I'm going to change and wash my face." He stood up as well, though much slower than his companion, and stretched. His body still felt sore from yesterday.

"If you insist, man. Don't take too long, you know they probably won't wait for you."

"I know. Don't you worry about me, I'll get there. Now shoo, go, get out of here," Halin said as he started pushing Cyrus towards the door.

"Alright, I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh," Cyrus laughed. "See you when you get there." With that, Cyrus left Halin to clean himself up.

Halin wasn't known for his speed, by any means. He was often late for class or meetings. He was late for just about anything, really. But this, he knew, he could not be late for. He stripped as quickly as he could, changed into his fresh cadet outfit, and washed his face in the bathroom. After a couple of sniffs he realized that he probably didn't smell that great, either, and rummaged through Cyrus' room for some cologne.

Once Halin was sure he was ready, he took off and ran through the Garden to the elevator. Most of the students were up and about by now, and a lot of them realized where he was going and sent him on his way with murmurs of good luck. He nodded to each of them until he hit the stairs to the elevator. Halin quickly climbed the steps and pressed the button. His breath was labored, and he put his hand on his stomach; he hadn't been keeping up with his physical activities lately. If he kept up like this, a Tonberry would be able to outrun him.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and he jumped in, mashing both the button for the 2nd floor and 'Close Door' several times in a row, until it finally answered his request. The ride only took a few seconds, but he could feel the pressure on him. Not about making it to the meeting area on time, but with the exam as a whole. The doors opened and he walked out onto the bridge. There was a large group of students milling about, but no Garden Faculty member in front of them yet; he was safe. The doors closed behind him, and he could see the elevator heading upwards through its glass doors.

'_Just barely made it, then,_' Halin thought as he jogged towards the group of his peers. _'There must be at least thirty people here.'_ He easily spotted Cyrus in the group. He was talking to Chel and a blond girl he recognized as Cyrus' little sister, Robin. Halin's gaze wandered as he walked, trying to find anyone else he knew.

"... and just like that, BOOM! I caught it dead in the mouth with a Fira spell," Cyrus exclaimed. "It started melting, and that, as they say, is that." Cyrus looked up, saw Halin approaching, and waved. "Hey, good to see you made it, man." Both Chel and Robin turned to face him.

"Hey, Cyrus, Chel," Halin managed to say with a wave before the blond girl tackled him with a full-force hug.

"Halin!" Robin yelled, looking up into Halin's face. She looked confused for a moment. "Why do you smell like my brother?"

"Uh, hey, Robin," Halin said gingerly as he pried himself free. He ignored her question. "Here to see your brother graduate?" He glanced up at Cyrus, but his friend merely shrugged. Ever since the two met, Robin had been pursuing Halin. However, Halin had his own personal code of honor, and it was firmly against dating his friends' sisters. Though once she found out about that, things had just gotten worse from there.

"Not just Cy, but you, too," Robin stated. She turned to face Chel. "You were on his team, right? He did well enough to pass, right?"

It was at that point that Halin realized something. "Chel, where's Aya at?" he asked, standing on his toes so he could get a better look around the crowded corridor. She was nowhere to be seen.

Before Chel had a chance to answer, one of the Garden Faculty members appeared from the bridge and cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "I will now start calling out names, one by one. If your name is called, please proceed to the elevator."

Everyone in the corridor went dead silent as they waited for the first name. The faculty member paused, gazing through the crowd with a smirk on his face as if he enjoyed tormenting them. After a few more seconds, he looked down and read the first name on the list. "Demezzo, Cyrus Demezzo ."

"Heck yeah!" was Cyrus' immediate reaction. He jumped in the air with a fist raised high, and began to strut his way towards the elevator. "See you on the other side, Halin, Chel."

After his outburst, everyone turned their attention back to the faculty member. He glanced at his list. "Next, Leibman, Rachel Leibman." Chel smiled brightly as her name was called, and walked through the crowd with her head held high. No outburst like Cyrus, just pride.

"Sarilla, Orion Sarilla." Halin raised an eyebrow; he hadn't heard that name before. _'Must be a transfer student,' _he thought. The gunner relaxed a little bit. He was on the same squad as Chel and her name had been called, so he assumed that he hadn't made it. Which was fine; he didn't expect to pass on the first go.

"Rishmur, Halin Rishmur." Halin's eyes popped wide open.

The girl beside him squealed. "I knew you would make it, Halin!"

"I... I guess so, then." Halin stammered. His feet started moving on their own towards the elevator. He was a bit shocked, he hadn't really expected to be picked. The impression he made on Irvine must have been a strong one.

Once Halin passed him, the faculty member spoke up once more. "That is all, dismissed." There was a collected groan of disappointment throughout the whole corridor from those who hadn't made it.

Cyrus was waiting for Halin on the other side. "Bro!" he yelled, a huge grin plastered on his face. "We're gunna party it up later tonight. So glad I get to do it with you." Cyrus pulled Halin in for a friendly hug, which Halin returned in kind.

"I'm surprised I made it, to be honest," Halin confessed.

"If you're surprised, then you shouldn't have become a SeeD in the first place," said a masculine voice from the direction of the elevator. Halin glanced past Cyrus to see Orion, the big burly fellow whose name he hadn't recognized. "Only the best get chosen. If that's how you feel, I'd say they chose wrong.

Cyrus was quick to come to Halin's aid. "Hey, now I know you're not talking to my main man like that. He earned this, just like you did, just like Chel did, just like I did." Cyrus began to crack his knuckles. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Orion sneered. "Please, I'm sure they only let you three graduate because they needed to fill in the ranks. Balamb's grown soft these days."

"I'm sorry," Cyrus said, stepping up to Orion and getting uncomfortably close to the man. "Would you like to repeat that?"

"It's not worth the effort, Cy," Halin pleaded. "He can have whatever opinion he wants of us. He's just some guy, you know?"

Cyrus stared into Orion's eyes menacingly for a few more moments before backing off, hands in the air. "Halin's right, not worth the trouble."

"You're a cadet from Galbadia Garden, aren't you?" Chel asked in her usual soft tone. "The uniform's a little different."

"Well well, at least someone here has eyes." Orion smirked. "Yes, but I'm a _SeeD_ from Galbadia Garden, now. And it's doing a lot better than this hovel you call a Garden."

Cyrus balled his fists up tight, "Why I oughta-"

"Everyone, into the elevator," said a voice from behind. The Garden Faculty member started shooing them towards the door. "The Headmaster and Commander won't wait all day."

The four new graduates crammed themselves in the elevator and hit the button for the 3rd floor, leaving the faculty member behind on the 2nd. Tension was high, thanks to Orion's obvious hostility towards the other three, but no one dared to throw the first punch. Jeopardizing their SeeDship now would just be stupid.

Luckily, the trip was short, and they soon found themselves lined up in the Headmaster's Office. Headmaster Cid was standing near the tall chair by his desk, while Commander Squall was sitting at another desk on the other side of the room. Rinoa Heartilly was there as well, sitting on Squall's desk and reading the latest Pet Pals magazine. When they came in, Squall stood up and walked around his desk to greet them.

"Congratulations, Cadets," Squall said with a stiff timbre. He paused and surveyed the four standing before him. Squall turned to whisper, "Only four?" Halin arched an eyebrow as he read the Commander's lips. Had the Commander expected more?

Cid gave a small nod and smiled at the cadets before him. His face was filled with pride as he looked from one to the next, making sure to keep eye contact for a few seconds with each. The Headmaster dove right into his speech. "Congratulations, Cadets," he said in a tone that was the complete opposite of Squall's. "As a member of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world. We are proud to introduce you as SeeDs, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers.

"SeeDs are combat specialists, yes, but that is only one aspect of Garden." Cid seemed to become enthralled by his own words as he spoke. "We strive to protect the people from any Sorceress threat." Almost in unison, the four cadets glanced at Rinoa. It was a well known fact that she was a Sorceress, and yet she and the Commander were dating. Halin blinked as he looked closer. _'Is she wearing a ring...?'_

"But that's not to say that we will send you into battle blindly," Cid continued. The cadets returned their attention to him. "We don't want you to become machines, simply following orders. And just as you are all individuals, so are the Sorceresses that live in this world. We also strive for peace, even if it is through combat.

"SeeD is an irreplaceable asset to Garden, and we care deeply about each and every one of you. Handle your missions with care, and always use your mind first." Cid looked over them all one more time before returning to his desk and picking up four folders. "Here are your SeeD rank reports."

The Headmaster started on the left, as he always did. He approached Cyrus and shook his hand, handing him his folder. Cid leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Edea and I enjoyed _The Tales of Vascaroon_." Cyrus grinned from ear to ear and started to fidget. Halin could tell that he really wanted to yell something out.

Cid approached the next in line, Chel. He shook her hand as well, whispering, "The library won't be the same without you." Chel took her folder and turned slightly red. She stood at attention perfectly, just as she was trained.

Next was Orion. The cadet dropped the handshake quickly, but if Cid noticed at all, he didn't show it. "Although you weren't trained here, you're still welcome any time," the headmaster whispered.

Halin stood straight as an arrow as Cid approached him. They shook hands, and Halin took his folder with a barely contained grin. Cid leaned in to whisper his bit, "You always had the most interesting napping spots." Halin choked back a chuckle. If he had known the Headmaster himself approved of his nap breaks, he would have taken a lot more of them.

Headmaster Cid returned to Squall's side and looked the cadets over once more with a proud smile before nodding. "This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!"

The students began walking back towards the door, each of them smiling at their victory. "So, what do you guys say to pancakes in the cafeteria?" Halin asked. "I'm starving."

"Halin," Chel interjected, "We have to go back to our class to give our speech."

"Yeah man, all the new SeeD members have to do it," Cyrus confirmed. "It's tradition."

"A speech? Ugh, shoot me now." Halin was the first to reach the door. He opened it and immediately recoiled, startled. Orion pushed past him and headed straight for the elevator. "Aya?" he asked. Sure enough, his one-time squad leader was pacing back and forth in front of the elevators. Her head snapped up when she heard her name.

She watched the four new SeeD members emerge before smirking. "So, even a slacker like you made it into SeeD," she stated.

"Aya..." was all Chel could say.

Halin felt like he had to say something. "I'm sorry things didn't work out, Aya," he said lamely.

Aya's eyes blazed just as they had last night. "Are you about to tell me you feel sorry for me now? I don't need your pity."

"No, that's not-"

"Aya Barrera, please come into my office," Headmaster Cid called.

Aya complied with a huff, leaving Halin, Chel and Cyrus in the waiting room. Cyrus was the first to speak. "Well... that could have gone better."

"Couldn't it have, though?" Halin raised his palm to his face. "Whatever, let's just go get those pancakes."

"You mean speech, Halin," Chel said as she thumbed the button.

"Right," Halin nodded. "That's what I said, speech. Let's go get those speech."

* * *

Author's Notes

Not much to say here. Graduation, huzzah! I have one, possibly two, more chapters lined up and then we're leaving Balamb Garden for the big ole world of FF8.


End file.
